Trent Balkee's drafts, and how the '12 draft wasn't as bad as everyone thin

We all know how great the 2011 draft was, picking up Aldon, and Kap, and Culliver and Kilgore. And we also know how bad the 2012 was, considering the only players in the roster still remaining from that draft are Lamichael and Looney. But I also think that draft was sacrificed for the 2013 draft. Trading out of picks and even the Cam Johnson pick were all sacrificial lambs for the better of the '13 draft class.



And I think the 2013 draft exemplifies Baalkee's imprint on this team, especially now with the Chris Harper addition.



I mean (I know its too early) but if you look at the class rookies that have come into the team in 2013... wow. First there's Eric Reid that is already starting and has all the potential to become a top safety in this league. Then, there's Tank Carradine, a first-round rush talent that will eventually replace the Cowboy. Third, there's Vance McDonald, that looks like a great blocking and catching tight end. Extremely fast for his size. Athletic. Still iffy with his hands but decent. Then there's Corey Lemoneir, who looks like a poor man's Aldon Smith. Long Arms, comes fast off the line of scrimmage. The thought of one day having the Tank in the middle, with Lemoneir and Smith at opposite ends should scare the f out of O-lines.



Now we have to add Chris Harper here. He can potentially become D. Walkers replacement. Play in a lot of three tight end formations with Vernon and Mcdonald. I know we've seen some three tight end formations before, but none with these type of athletic tight ends. I think they were hoping to do this with Marquise Grey, but I believe they are a lot more excited about Harper. Then, there's Quinton Patton, that's looked dynamic in the preseason. I mean, he is exciting and brings a spunk to this offense that I've never seen a rookie do in this team, especially in such a short time. In the same round, Baalke took Marcus Lattimore . And my god, if he looks anything similar to how he did in South Carolina, if he evades further knee injuries, then we have Frank Gore's replacement waiting in the wings.



Then Quinton Dial who's still a mystery, considering how little he played at Alabama.. and Nick Moody who looked solid. Nothing spectacular here. Just some decent looking football players.



And lastly BJ Daniels.. boy how fun was he to watch in the preseason. He looks like a faster Russell Wilson. He can be a great backup to Colin.



So looking back at this 2013 draft, I feel it's the best draft I've seen a 49er GM conduct …. Ever.. now I'm only 25 so I didn't watch the Walsh drafts, but if Baalke can conduct more drafts like the '13 and '11 drafts and less like the '12 draft, then I am ready excited about how well our rosters will look in the future.

With a stellar VD, Vance and now if Harper can develop we'll have some impressive 3 TE sets for defensive coordinators to worry about.

It's too bad Jenkins was such an abomination. The 2012 draft look soooo bad.

Anyway, the 2013 draft has a chance to be legendary. Just other-worldly talent floating around. If these guys pan out, it's going to set up the franchise for years to come. Huge "if" though.

Originally posted by ivanm05:
So looking back at this 2013 draft, I feel it's the best draft I've seen a 49er GM conduct …. Ever.. now I'm only 25 so I didn't watch the Walsh drafts, but if Baalke can conduct more drafts like the '13 and '11 drafts and less like the '12 draft, then I am ready excited about how well our rosters will look in the future.

Slooooooow down their young gun....

http://sfo.scout.com/2/634437.html

49ers draft list: The 10 best yearly classes

1. 1986: Considered one of the greatest drafts by any team in NFL history, the 49ers maneuvered for extra picks by trading down and came away with a bonanza of Charles Haley, John Taylor, Tom Rathman, Kevin f*gan, Don Griffin, Steve Wallace, Tim McKyer and Larry Roberts – all key starters in the team's future Super Bowl championship runs. Coach Bill Walsh traded away quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and offensive tackle Billy Shields to gain more picks, and his series of masterful moves on draft day resulted in a 14-player haul that fortified the team's dynasty for a decade to come.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by ivanm05:
So looking back at this 2013 draft, I feel it's the best draft I've seen a 49er GM conduct …. Ever.. now I'm only 25 so I didn't watch the Walsh drafts, but if Baalke can conduct more drafts like the '13 and '11 drafts and less like the '12 draft, then I am ready excited about how well our rosters will look in the future.

Slooooooow down their young gun....

http://sfo.scout.com/2/634437.html

49ers draft list: The 10 best yearly classes

1. 1986: Considered one of the greatest drafts by any team in NFL history, the 49ers maneuvered for extra picks by trading down and came away with a bonanza of Charles Haley, John Taylor, Tom Rathman, Kevin f*gan, Don Griffin, Steve Wallace, Tim McKyer and Larry Roberts – all key starters in the team's future Super Bowl championship runs. Coach Bill Walsh traded away quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and offensive tackle Billy Shields to gain more picks, and his series of masterful moves on draft day resulted in a 14-player haul that fortified the team's dynasty for a decade to come.

Yeah, of course.. that's what I meant about I've seen .. i was born in 1987.. and didn't really start watching the draft till I was like 13. Like starting in the 2000's.. I know there were epic drafts in the 80's but I unfortunately wasn't born yet to see them. Thanks for the link!!

Originally posted by ivanm05:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by ivanm05:
So looking back at this 2013 draft, I feel it's the best draft I've seen a 49er GM conduct …. Ever.. now I'm only 25 so I didn't watch the Walsh drafts, but if Baalke can conduct more drafts like the '13 and '11 drafts and less like the '12 draft, then I am ready excited about how well our rosters will look in the future.

Slooooooow down their young gun....

http://sfo.scout.com/2/634437.html

49ers draft list: The 10 best yearly classes

1. 1986: Considered one of the greatest drafts by any team in NFL history, the 49ers maneuvered for extra picks by trading down and came away with a bonanza of Charles Haley, John Taylor, Tom Rathman, Kevin f*gan, Don Griffin, Steve Wallace, Tim McKyer and Larry Roberts – all key starters in the team's future Super Bowl championship runs. Coach Bill Walsh traded away quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and offensive tackle Billy Shields to gain more picks, and his series of masterful moves on draft day resulted in a 14-player haul that fortified the team's dynasty for a decade to come.

Yeah, of course.. that's what I meant about I've seen .. i was born in 1987.. and didn't really start watching the draft till I was like 13. Like starting in the 2000's.. I know there were epic drafts in the 80's but I unfortunately wasn't born yet to see them. Thanks for the link!!

Just teasing. Totally get your point and would add that not every draft will be a success like '11 has been and '13 is shaping up to be. But if you keep working it even after the fact (trading AJ for Baldwin, trading Cam for a pick, setting things up for a huge '14 draft as well) you can still squeeze value from a relatively bad draft like 2012.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by ivanm05:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by ivanm05:
So looking back at this 2013 draft, I feel it's the best draft I've seen a 49er GM conduct …. Ever.. now I'm only 25 so I didn't watch the Walsh drafts, but if Baalke can conduct more drafts like the '13 and '11 drafts and less like the '12 draft, then I am ready excited about how well our rosters will look in the future.

Slooooooow down their young gun....

http://sfo.scout.com/2/634437.html

49ers draft list: The 10 best yearly classes

1. 1986: Considered one of the greatest drafts by any team in NFL history, the 49ers maneuvered for extra picks by trading down and came away with a bonanza of Charles Haley, John Taylor, Tom Rathman, Kevin f*gan, Don Griffin, Steve Wallace, Tim McKyer and Larry Roberts – all key starters in the team's future Super Bowl championship runs. Coach Bill Walsh traded away quarterback Matt Cavanaugh and offensive tackle Billy Shields to gain more picks, and his series of masterful moves on draft day resulted in a 14-player haul that fortified the team's dynasty for a decade to come.

Yeah, of course.. that's what I meant about I've seen .. i was born in 1987.. and didn't really start watching the draft till I was like 13. Like starting in the 2000's.. I know there were epic drafts in the 80's but I unfortunately wasn't born yet to see them. Thanks for the link!!

Just teasing. Totally get your point and would add that not every draft will be a success like '11 has been and '13 is shaping up to be. But if you keep working it even after the fact (trading AJ for Baldwin, trading Cam for a pick, setting things up for a huge '14 draft as well) you can still squeeze value from a relatively bad draft like 2012.

Exactly. I just like how active our front office is in making sure it has the best possible roster. They don't let ego get in the way of what's best for the football team.

Way too early to judge the 2013 class or draft in general. It could be a total bust. It could be great. It could be anything in between. I certainly think errors were made in 2013 as well, especially passing on the WR spot early (Robert Woods would have looked good) and the CB position. I also think they gave up too much to move up for Reid. But who knows where things will go. It's way too early to give Baalke congrats for 2013, but the 2012 results are in and they're bad.

Let's face it. The 2012 draft was a major disappointment. 2011 was a great draft. 2013 ... who knows? None of the players have played a down yet. But I like what I see in Patton and Reid. McDonald and Lemonier have also showed promise.

Every single GM in the history of the NFL can point to a bad draft year. I will say, James was a much needed addition to our team at the end of last year and he played an important role after Hunter went down and Looney has been a serviceable back up.

Baalke effectively traded a 2012 7th round for a 2013 4th rounder and a 2014 7th rounder......mastermind status right there!

Originally posted by midrdan:
Let's face it. The 2012 draft was a major disappointment. 2011 was a great draft. 2013 ... who knows? None of the players have played a down yet. But I like what I see in Patton and Reid. McDonald and Lemonier have also showed promise.

Every single GM in the history of the NFL can point to a bad draft year. I will say, James was a much needed addition to our team at the end of last year and he played an important role after Hunter went down and Looney has been a serviceable back up.

2010 and 2011 were great drafts. 2012 sucked. My guess is that 2013 will be more in line with 10 and 11.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:

Originally posted by midrdan:
Let's face it. The 2012 draft was a major disappointment. 2011 was a great draft. 2013 ... who knows? None of the players have played a down yet. But I like what I see in Patton and Reid. McDonald and Lemonier have also showed promise.

Every single GM in the history of the NFL can point to a bad draft year. I will say, James was a much needed addition to our team at the end of last year and he played an important role after Hunter went down and Looney has been a serviceable back up.

2010 and 2011 were great drafts. 2012 sucked. My guess is that 2013 will be more in line with 10 and 11.

Agreed. Unless things go horribly wrong, 2013 should match up well with '10 at least. The '11 draft seems to be in another stratosphere though.

Ultimately, what I'm trying to say is that, since the 2012 draft was so much about trading out and acquiring picks for the 2013 draft, the 2013 can potentially turn out as good because of the 2012 one.

Plus.. if somehow. Baldwin turns out to be a good receiver, then the blemish of thee 2012 class will be less.

1) You have to understand the team was already strong by 2012. A lot of guys could not make the team on an already deep and talented team. This makes the draft look worse than it is.

2) You really got to add Jon Baldwin in there now. We traded for him with the value we got so he kind of now becomes part of that draft.

3) We have an unknown 2014 7th rounder that we don't know anything about at this point.

Overall it looks bad to be. Real bad. But there are some incompletes in there that we don't know about yet.

Like the previous posters said I believe some were traded for future draft picks making other drafts better and the 2012 one worse.

2012 was a bad draft, no other way to put it. It happens, even to the best GMs. Baalke has been money for the most part. Not only has he drafted pro-bowlers, some of those guys are arguably THE best at their respective position.